Black Ops: Zombies
A/N: Oh dear...There's not really any good way to go about this, is there? Ok, first things first: I am not dead. Secondly, I am so deeply and incredibly sorry that I have been away for so long without any indication as to the reason for my absence. Nothing happened to me, everything is still hunky dory in my life. I will save my explanation for after the chapter because I don't want to make my opening notes to long, so for now, please enjoy the next chapter! Remember that I own nothing!
The inhuman screams of the undead drowned out almost all other noise as Edward Richtofen initiated the teleportation sequence. Hurriedly pressing sequences of buttons with one hand while the other held tightly to the grip of his pistol, Richtofen very quickly input the coordinates for their destination: The Moon. Once there, he would finally be able to force that irritating little girl out of the MPD and take her place, giving him complete control of the hordes of the undead! The thought alone almost made him smile giddily, but he quickly covered his show of emotion with a slight cough, as he mustn't let the others know of his plight.
Speaking of his former test subjects…
Quickly glancing over his shoulder, the mad doctor scanned over the three other human beings within the room. Currently, each one was posted at a boarded-up window or doorway and shooting down any undead that attempted to force their way through. Unfortunately, the number of zombies that were trying to gain access to the room was quite large, and it was only thanks to the skills of each of the humans guarding the entries that the small room had not been overrun yet.
Nikolai Belinski, the ever inebriated Russian, was drunkenly singing to himself as he blasted away at the zombie horde with his pump-action shotgun. The lyrics to his little tune might have meant something to him, but Nikolai's delivery left much to be desired, as each verse was saturated with slurred syllables that Richtofen was sure did not form a word in any language ever. Periodically between verses and the chorus, or really whenever he felt like it, Nikolai would take one hand off of his shotgun to grasp the large bottle of vodka that sat close to him on the windowsill. Taking the bottle in one hand, Nikolai's "singing" would turn into a muffled humming as he took a long pull from the bottle, and only after a long second of gulping would he remove the bottle from his lips and place it back onto the windowsill, his humming slowly turning back into slurred mumbling as he continued his song.
Despite his companion's constant dependence on the alcoholic spirit, Richtofen had come to notice that Nikolai did not become a hindrance to the group under the influence of his drink. In fact, it seemed that the only time Nikolai fell behind was when his vodka ran dry. As some ironic yet intriguing side effect to his exposure to Element 115, Nikolai's aim and reflexes were at their best when he was sloshed, and progressively grew worse as he sobered up. If Richtofen had more time to experiment on the soviet prior to the outbreak, perhaps he might have uncovered the medical explanation for Nikolai's dependence, but such fun would have to remain a mystery for now. There was much more important work to be done.
"Hey, German!" Nikolai called out to Richtofen as he continued firing into the horde of zombies attempting to claw their way in, "How much longer until teleporter-thingy is ready? It take longer to warm up than my third wife! Ha Ha ha!"
"A man who grows impatient has not the discipline to keep his honor, Nikolai," came the voice of Takeo Masaki from across the room, his sharp and somewhat piercing voice cutting across the enraged growls of the undead. "I suggest you spend less time drinking and more time in the here and now."
Takeo, if Richtofen remembered correctly, had once served quite closely at the side of the Japanese Emperor, but his loyalty was unfortunately misguided, and the Emperor had sent him to Group 935 as a test subject after his usefulness had dried up. Any man with a semblance of compassion would have empathized with poor Takeo for being betrayed like that, but Richtofen was not one of those men. In truth, Richtofen had been thrilled when Takeo had been given to him for experimentation, as more test subjects meant more fun for the mad scientist's experiments. Takeo's mind was not as…how Richtofen would put it…stupid as the other test subjects', making the Japanese man's overt obsession with the concept of honor another intriguing side effect of prolonged exposure to 115.
"Gotta agree with ya' there, Tak!" boomed the voice of Tank Dempsey, the third and final test subject. "Because right now, I am having the time of my life!"
Ah yes…Dempsey. Richtofen's least favorite test subject out of the three. The American was stubborn in many more ways than one, which had caused problems for Richtofen in the past when attempting to experiment on him, and it was causing even more problems now that he was a member of their little force.
Dempsey's exposure to Element 115 had affected him much like it had Nikolai and Takeo, but in a way that Richtofen found to be much more annoying. Instead of requiring vodka or reciting numerous proverbs about honor, Dempsey had become louder and more aggressive, especially when it came to fighting the undead hordes they now faced. It was though that American bravado that Richtofen detested so much had been amplified by his experimentation, and when Richtofen considered it, he supposed Dempsey was one of the few instances where he regretted experimenting on a subject.
As if to add insult to injury, Dempsey had been the one to receive the Wunderwaffe DG-2 during their excursion to the rising sun facility, making him the sole owner of the only wonder weapon the group possessed. Richtofen had attempted many times to get Dempsey to give the weapon to him, but the Marine had told him to "stick it where the sun don't shine" each time he did so. This continued to irk Richtofen, as the Wunderwaffe was a product of his superior intellect. He had been the one to design and create the first prototype of the weapon back when he was with Group 935, and now one of his greatest achievements was wielded by one of his most monumental failures.
"Oh, cruel and twisted fate, is this you toying with me for playing God? If so, then I apologize. I really do! Now please, if you could just smite Dempsey in any way possible, then you would make me the happiest little doctor in the world!"
Richtofen had said those words to himself, but apparently his voice had carried over the sounds of gore, and Richtofen heard Dempsey's voice respond.
"You keep talking, doc, and I'm gonna put my boot up your stupid kraut ass!"
"Oh Dempsey, it is so good to see that my hatred for you is only matched by your hatred for me! So poetic, wouldn't you say?" Richtofen retorted.
Dempsey growled, but said nothing. Instead, the Wunderwaffe whirred and sparked as Dempsey fired it through the window, sending chain arcs of lightning through the zombies on the other side. The extreme surge of current through their bodies caused the affected necrophages to convulse wildly, and they continued to twitch with the electricity before falling to the ground dead…again.
Deciding to waste no more of his breath on the American oaf, Richtofen punched one final key in the control pad, causing the teleporter to whir to life and begin the sequence.
"Quickly now, everyone!" Richtofen yelled. "Into the teleporter! Our destiny awaits us!"
Richtofen's timing could not have been better it seemed, for the zombies were just starting to overwhelm his comrades. Together, the four of them gathered on the teleporter pad as the machine reached maximum power. Across the room, zombies began pouring in through the now undefended windows. The ones at the front began making their way towards the teleporter, but Richtofen knew they would not reach them before the device cast them into dimensional space. Beside him, Dempsey gave a booming laugh.
"See ya later, freak bags! Here's a little something for the road!"
Richtofen's eyes widened as Dempsey aimed the Wunderwaffe towards the approaching horde.
"Dempsey, you fool-!"
Richtofen's warning came too late. Dempsey had already squeezed the trigger, firing the Wunderwaffe in the direction of the zombie horde. The massive amounts of energy ejected by the weapon overloaded the teleporter, and Richtofen barely had time to curse Dempsey's name in German before they disappeared with a bright flash of light.
…
For a few moments, all Richtofen could see was a swirling of bright colors as he passed through teleportational space, then with a jolt, his boots hit solid ground again and the light faded from his vision.
Taking a few moments to allow his eyes to adjust, Richtofen blinked and examined his surroundings as his allies flashed back into reality beside him. Wherever they were, it was not the moon. The room they had arrived in looked nothing like a space station, and was instead some sort of lobby area, with many boarded-up doors leading outside behind the group. As Richtofen looked around some more, his mind finally clicked.
They had arrived at some sort of abandoned theater, one that looked to have been empty for quite some time before their arrival. Looking around, Richtofen could see posters and flyers strewn about for plays and musicals, now long forgotten amidst the shabby and broken-down feel of this place. Given the German text on each of them as well as the numerous flags of the Nazi party strewn about, Richtofen could only assume that they were still in Germany.
Turning smartly to Dempsey, Richtofen holstered his pistol and clasped his hands together in front of him.
"Dempsey, let me ask you something…Why did you feel the need to fire the Wunderwaffe RIGHT AS THE TELEPORTER WAS ACTIVATING?!"
"What?" Dempsey replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "In case you hadn't noticed doc, I was doing what I do best: killing bone monkeys!"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Richtofen shook his head in exasperation before continuing.
"The Wunderwaffe outputs no less than two hundred thousand amperes of current each time it is fired, Dempsey. Do you understand what that means? It means that every time you pull the trigger on that thing, a big electromagnetic field is created which interferes with other electrical devices if you are STANDING CLOSE TO THEM!"
A once over of Dempsey's blank expression told Richtofen that he had exceeded the limits of his ally's capacity to understand, and with a dramatic sigh, Richtofen turned away and gazed up tiredly at the shabby ceiling of the lobby they were in.
"In truth, this is my fault for assuming that you possessed the foresight or basic knowledge of electricity to use caution, Dempsey. I'm afraid that it is I who is the greater fool here."
"Ah! Don't beat yourself up, German!" Nikolai cut in from Richtofen's left, giving the mad doctor a playful slap on the shoulder. "We all make mistakes from time to time…remind me to tell you about time Nikolai forgot to take off pants before taking a piss!"
Nikolai laughed heartily and reached for his bottle once more, and it was then that Takeo decided to interject as well.
"Doctor Richtofen, what is this place? This does not look like the moon base you spoke of."
Deciding to get back to the situation at hand instead of strangling Dempsey, Richtofen turned his attention to his Japanese comrade.
"My dear Takeo, you would be correct in your statement. This is indeed not the moon, but rather, a theater house. When the teleporter overloaded…"
Richtofen paused to glare at Dempsey before continuing.
"…our destination was randomized, sending us here instead of our intended destination on the moon."
"But if this is a theater, then why is there a teleporter pad here?" Takeo questioned further. "That seems quite out of place…"
Richtofen started when he realized that Takeo was right. If this was just some theater in Germany, then why was there a return pad in the main lobby? Richtofen had attended plays before, and never once had there been a giant glowing teleporter pad in the center of them. Obviously, they would have not ended up here if there hadn't been one, but Richtofen never recalled Group 935 establishing a base in an abandoned theater…
His interest peaked, and Richtofen followed the trail of wires leading from the return pad further into the theater, winding under the main doors leading to what he assumed was the auditorium. Richtofen raised an eyebrow and started toward the doors before Nikolai spoke up again.
"Hey, look! Is another one of those strange soda machines from before!"
All eyes turned to the machine in question, and Richtofen instantly recognized it as one of the Perk-a-Cola machines developed by Group 935. The ambient blue neon light coming from the machine told Richtofen that it housed "Quick Revive" colas before he even read the name on the front of it. The mad doctor had a major part in developing the colas themselves, and he could discern the perks easily based just off the sight of the machine.
At this point, Richtofen felt himself growing quite agitated, as the presence of a teleporter return pad and a Perk-a-Cola machine in a completely unfamiliar place could only mean one thing: Maxis, in his conniving and scheming against the mad doctor, had constructed a separate base of operations to continue working with Element 115 without Richtofen's awareness.
"Maxis, you schweinehund!" Richtofen seethed angrily, striding towards the door to the auditorium where the return pad cables ran under. "Did you really think you could hide this from me?!"
With a forceful kick, Richtofen kicked open the doors of the auditorium, and the sight that greeted him confirmed his suspicions. As expected, the large interior of the auditorium had been converted into a makeshift research lab, with many experimental machines strewn about. Instruments of science were all too easy to spot with a keen eye like Richtofen's.
Sitting at the front left part of the stage was the teleporter itself, no doubt linked to the return pad inside the lobby from where they had just arrived. Frowning slightly at the scene before him, Richtofen could not help but wonder what had happened to this place. Certainly the zombies must have overrun it, which definitely explained the emptiness of the place as well as its disheveled state, in addition, everything looked old and settled. It was almost as though they had been undisturbed for years…
Something about that timeline didn't add up to Richtofen, and it was at that moment that he decided that he needed more information.
Turning to the rest of the group, Richtofen cleared his throat.
"Well now, since it appears that we will be stuck here for a bit, I say we split up and see just what this theater has to offer. It seems that there is more to this place than what we might believe."
No one had any objections save for an annoyed grunt from Dempsey, and so the group cautiously split up to search the building, keeping an eye out for anything that could fill them in about the strange theater.
…
After less than half an hour of searching, Richtofen had learned all that he needed to know about the secret laboratory. Finding some of the files that had been left as well as some journals of the personnel who had worked there painted a very clear picture of what the purpose of this place was.
Maxis, in his growing distrust of Richtofen, had requisitioned Nazi high command to build this facility in addition to the 935 facility in Breslau. Using this facility, Maxis could continue his work clandestinely and keep Richtofen from knowing of and interfering with his work. After angrily cursing Maxis's name multiple times, Richtofen delved further into what exactly about this facility would cause Maxis to be so secretive.
The results were shocking, as not only had Maxis been developing a new Wonder Weapon, but a new kind of zombie as well. The files mentioning these new zombies were few and far between, but the ones that Richtofen gathered spoke of some sort of "Gas Zombie" that would be designed as a sort of chemical weapon against the enemies of the Fatherland. Richtofen felt his excitement growing as he tried to find out more about these new zombies, as he could not wait to see if there were still specimens housed somewhere in this facility. Reading further into the diary of one of the scientists stationed here, Richtofen immediately frowned at some of the dates of the entries. The scientist must have gone mad during his time at the facility because many of the dates within the diary were years ahead of what Richtofen knew to be the current year: 1945.
Flipping forward, Richtofen skipped to the final entries in the diary in which the scientist detailed the evacuation of the facility due to multiple containment breaches from their "Gas Zombie" chambers. Apparently, something had gone wrong with their security, causing the zombies to break out and begin rampaging throughout the theater. The entry abruptly cut off at the end, but Richtofen barely paid it any mind once he saw the date of the final journal entry:
October 1, 1960.
"That can't be right…" Richtofen mumbled with a shake of his head. "This buffoon must have been horribly mistaken."
Turning his attention to another diary he had found, Richtofen began to grow more and more nervous as he saw that the dates in this one were also far ahead of the current year. They continued past 1945 and into the 50s and early 60s.
"Mein Gott…"
Hastily reaching over and pulling out some experimental files that he had found, Richtofen saw with horror that they too were dated far into the future. Or rather, what their authors considered to be the present. Seeing this, Richtofen froze in shock. He could not even begin to fathom how it had happened, but somehow, they had…
The teleporter.
The Wunderwaffe.
It had not only sent them to a different place, but a different time as well. When they had left the Der Riese facility, the year had been 1945.
And given the most recent journal entry as well as the fact that the theater had been undisturbed for some time, the good doctor guessed that the current year was between 1960 and 1965.
"Oh…scheiße!" Richtofen seethed aloud, standing up and angrily kicking the desk he had been sitting at.
"Is something the matter, Doctor Richtofen?"
Turning in surprise, Richtofen saw his three allies walking towards him, each holding their weapons at the ready except for Dempsey, who had slung the Wunderwaffe over his shoulder and was carrying a large supply of Perk-a-Colas in his arms.
"Something? The matter?" Richtofen said hastily. "No! Of course, not my dear Takeo! Why would anything be the matter? I'm just…really angry at the penmanship of the people that wrote these diaries! It's absolutely atrocious!"
The others still looked at him with slight suspicion, so Richtofen quickly changed the subject.
"But enough about me! Tell me, what have you managed to find during your search of this place?"
"Nikolai has found strange machine that packs your punch," the Russian slurred. "Looks very similar to one we found in other place."
"I found the cursed demon box. It too seems to have followed us here…" claimed Takeo.
"And I found more go-juice!" Dempsey boomed with a bout of laughter as he held up the Perk-a-Colas. "Drinks are on me, boys!"
The fact that the Mystery Box, Pack-a-Punch Machine, and Perk-a-Cola Machines were here at this facility were no longer a surprise to Richtofen, as he alone knew of the true nature of this place. Unfortunately for the doctor, such knowledge did not help him in the end, as he had no way of getting to the Moon now since the teleporter here at the facility was only designed for short distance jumps.
Suddenly, the sound of movement came from the lobby of the theater, which was the room the group had first arrived in. Reactively, all four of them turned toward the noise, weapons raised in anticipation.
There standing in the doorway, was some horrid creature that Richtofen had never seen before. Slouched over on all fours, the doctor could see that the creature, though humanoid in nature, possessed barely any muscle mass. In addition, its skin was deathly pale, with the only part of its body having any color being its claws, which were stained pink from what Richtofen could only assume was blood. And as if its body was not haunting enough, the creature's face was even worse.
Lacking any eyes or nose, the only distinctive facial feature the creature possessed was a large and grotesque mouth that housed rows of razor-sharp teeth, each one stained as pink as the creature's claws. Its malformed jaw hung open slightly, and the creature drooled in a very feral way as it breathed heavily.
The horrendousness of the sight was multiplied by the fact that some sickly-looking vapor was secreting from the creature's skin, the fumes forming a small cloud above the its head.
All in all, Richtofen thought it looked kind of cute.
"What in the fresh-greased hell is that?" Dempsey asked aloud, his brow furrowed in disgust.
At that moment, the creature turned its head and seemed to notice the group for the first time. There was a pause as neither party moved, then the creature grew agitated. Raising its head to the sky, the it opened its maw even further and let out a distorted roar that resounded throughout the theater. Its howl was like a deep rasp, with an ambience like two slabs of granite being ground against each other.
It then snarled and lunged for the group, its four limbs granting it extreme speed as it bolted towards them. In a flash, the creature was shot dead by a combined effort of the group, its body riddled with holes after just a few short bursts.
There was a moment of silence, then the creature's body ruptured violently, its fresh carcass exploding into a large cloud of gas that swirled in the air for a few moments before dissipating.
"Whoa!" Nikolai exclaimed. "That thing popped like one of my fourth wife's back pimples! Big and disgusting!"
"It would be wise that we ready ourselves," Takeo mused as he scanned for more of the creatures. "I fear it's hellacious cry may have drawn unwanted attention."
As if to confirm Takeo's hypothesis, a sudden chorus of screams arose from multiple sources all around them. Richtofen had heard them enough times before to instantly gauge what they were.
Zombies…
With a combination of instinct and experience, Richtofen immediately set his gaze on the projector room above.
"There!" He said, gesturing with his pistol to the elevated room. "We will hold them off there!"
"Ah yes!" came the voice of Nikolai as the rumbling of the encroaching of the encroaching horde began to build around them. "Is the same room where I found the punch packer!"
"Well good for you, Nik," Dempsey said sarcastically as he stuffed the Perk-a-Colas into a bag he picked up from the floor. "Now, how about you get us there?!"
Quickly, the group followed Nikolai's lead as he exited through the doors they had come through and back into the main lobby. One look to the boarded-up windows and doors showed that the zombies had already reached them and were now tearing at the planks that separated their undead selves from the living humans inside.
"Expediency is a virtue, Nikolai," Richtofen said with a note of urgency, raising his pistol and firing at the reanimated corpses on the other side of the barricades.
"Is up the stairs, German!" Nikolai called from the front of the group as he rounded the once polished railing and began his ascent to the second floor of the building.
The others were not far behind, taking the steps two at a time as they heard the sounds of the boards splintering behind them. The noise of wood being destroyed meant that the zombies at last inside the theater, and that made things exceedingly more difficult.
Richtofen spared a glance back to see the undead forms pouring through the now destroyed barricades, their glowing orange eyes fixed hungrily on the four. Crawling among their ranks were more of the strange eyeless zombies like the one they had just killed. Despite having a PhD, it did not take a genius to figure out that these little crawlies and the "gas zombies" mentioned in the diaries were one and the same. Richtofen sincerely hoped that not all of these new necrophages exploded upon death like the last one did, as the idea of autopsying a corpse of these new creatures made him quite exuberant.
Ahead of him, Nikolai had finally reached the entrance to the projector room and threw it open, the four of them quickly barreling inside.
"Alas, my children!" Richtofen called, turning to get one last look at the zombies as he slammed the door shut behind him. "I cannot play with you just yet!"
"Quit talking to the flesh addicts and help us, doc!" came Dempsey's voice, and Richtofen turned back again to see the other three moving what little furniture the projector room possessed forward to barricade the door. Apart from a small couch and a few chairs, Richtofen once again laid eyes on the glowing form of the Pack-a-Punch machine, its massive slot in the front awaiting the deposit of an un-upgraded weapon. Ignoring the Pack-a-Punch for the time being, Richtofen set about barricading the door with the others, amounting them to brace against the door as best as they could. Unfortunately, given the few items they had to barricade the door in addition to the well-known tenacity of the zombies clawing at the other side, they knew their position would not hold long.
Looking back at the Pack-a-Punch again, Richtofen quickly concocted a survival plan.
Rushing forward, the mad doctor hastily inserted the sidearm into the open slot of the machine, which began to glow even brighter as the weapon underwent its upgrade.
"If we are going to make it out of here, then we need a bit more pop," he squealed to the others as the glow from the machine faded and deposited the pistol back into his hands. "Or should I say, punch!"
As with almost all weapons that underwent the Pack-a-Punch process, the pistol now possessed a pattern of ridges along all of its metallic components, giving it a much higher quality look. In addition, the Pack-a-Punch also completely restored the weapon, making every single part of it good as new and in peak condition.
Adjusting the pistol in his hands, Richtofen dashed back to the door and grabbed Takeo by the shoulder, roughly pushing him towards the awaiting Pack-a-Punch.
"Your turn, my Japanese friend! Don't dilly-dally now!"
Thankfully, Richtofen's lesser-minded companions seemed to catch on, and they each took turns bracing against the door while one other upgraded their weapon. In a short amount of time, each one of them had Pack-a-Punched their firearms and returned to bracing against the makeshift barricade with their bodies. Judging by the cracking sounds coming from the door itself, Richtofen knew that they did not have long before their barrier gave in.
Come on, Edward! Think!
Hastily, Richtofen's eyes darted around the room, trying to find something they could use to escape or fight their imminent foe.
"Doctor Richtofen," Takeo suddenly said over the muffled screaming of the zombies. "I have a question."
"Can you not see that I am trying to think Takeo?" Richtofen responded harshly. "In my medical opinion, I believe we all with lengthen our lifespan by letting me contemplate in peace!"
"This question is more urgent than you might believe, Doctor," Takeo pressed. "It might make a difference to our chances of survival."
"Well, then by all means," Richtofen chided, throwing on a mock smile and glaring at the man. "Please waste all of our few precious seconds by asking me this question. After all, if it's that urgent, then it's best not to keep it to yourself, ja?"
Richtofen's dripping sarcasm was lost on Takeo, as the doctor had anticipated.
"Those strange four-legged zombies, like the one that we executed, they cannot climb, can they?"
"Why the hell would you want to know that Tak?" Dempsey roared, obviously very impatient with the situation. "In case you hadn't noticed, we have a few more important things to worry about—"
Dempsey was suddenly interrupted by the sound of shattering glass as the large pane that separated the projector room from the main auditorium was suddenly destroyed. Through the now gaping hole, a few gas zombies jumped through, their sharp claws having allowed them to grip onto the walls and climb up to their level from the auditorium floor.
"That is why I asked," Takeo said plainly.
"Damn it!" Dempsey bellowed, slinging the newly Pack-a-Punched Wunderwaffe from his shoulder and taking aim. With a burst of light, electricity shot from the weapon and arced into the first gas zombie. The electricity did not stop, however, and proceeded to jump from the first gas zombie to the second one that had come through the window. The bolt then jumped to the projector, which exploded from the overflow of current, then jumped to another gas zombie that had just begun to climb into the room.
The bolt than arced further into the auditorium and out of sight, likely jumping into more zombies by the sounds of agony that could be heard below. As for the gas zombies that had been initially fried, Richtofen noticed with satisfaction that they did not explode. As he admired further, Dempsey cursed again and ran over to the window.
"Nikolai, get off your commie ass and help me hold these things off!"
"For once, Dempsey, Nikolai thinks your American bravado may be useful," the Russian laughed as he joined the marine at the window, sticking his shotgun out through the hole and firing at any gas zombies that attempted to enter. His Pack-a-Punched shotgun was more than up to the task, its usual loud boom being replaced by a higher pitched blasting noise, and the usually white-hot muzzle flash being dyed a deeper shade of red.
As for the zombies still outside the door, Richtofen could see that the wooden structure was on its last legs. Cracks began to run long and deep through the arbor, and as they grew further, large chunks began to rip free from the bulk of the door. The zombies, in their ever-insatiable hunger, forced their arms through the gaps in an attempt to grab at both Takeo and Richtofen, but with careful aim, Richtofen fired through the holes with his pistol. The Pack-a-Punched rounds tore through zombie flesh as though it were nothing, splattering the outer hallway with blood as the zombies at the front died first.
Unfortunately, for every zombie that died, two more took their place, and even though Richtofen and Takeo dropped them as fast as possible, the truth was that it was only a matter of seconds before the zombies breached the door and flooded into the projector room.
"You got a plan, doc?!" Dempsey called out as he fired the Wunderwaffe into an approaching cluster of gas zombies on the wall. "You're not just waiting until the last minute to be dramatic, right?"
"Dempsey, if your wretched voice is going to be the last thing I ever hear, I am going to be VERY UNHAPPY!" Richtofen yelled back. As if in time with Richtofen's outburst, the hinges on the doorframe finally gave, and the zombies began to push their way into the room, only slowed by the combined efforts of all four of them as they held the horde back with a wall of gunfire.
"Our honor is running out!" Takeo yelled as they were forced to backpedal into the room, giving up ground as they did so.
"Where is my Vodka?!" Nikolai yelled. "I will not die without it!"
Suddenly, an almost ear-splitting bang resounded over the sounds of gunfire and demented screaming. Each of the group members flinched in response to the noise but held up their positions as best as the could. There were a few more moments of frantic struggle as Richtofen and Takeo attempted to hold their ground against the zombies, and then, as if by magic, the strength of the horde waned as the four of them started to kill more zombies than were pouring in through the doorway. It was as though much of the horde had suddenly lost interest and had turned their attention elsewhere, causing fewer and fewer to come after the four survivors.
Bit by bit, the four of them pushed back the tide, clearing the zombies from the projector room and successfully bottlenecking them at the doorway and window. Despite the ringing in his ears, Richtofen could distinctly hear the sounds of gunfire that came from somewhere besides this room. Was…was someone else inside the theater?
"Nikolai!" Richtofen ordered, whipping around to face the Russian. "Hold the doorway!"
Nikolai nodded and took Richtofen's place in helping Takeo fend off the encroaching zombies. Once he was in position, Richtofen sprinted to the shattered window that opened into the auditorium and stuck his head out.
Down below, drawing a sea of zombies toward it, was a figure that Richtofen had never seen before. Encased entirely in a heavy suit of dark green armor, the figure darted back and forth between the zombies, wielding a double-barreled shotgun that was strong enough to tear through multiple zombies with a single shot.
Judging from the way that the figure moved, Richtofen had no choice but to conclude that whatever was beneath the armor was not human, or at least a standard human, as this creature moved with a fluidity and speed that no human could ever achieve.
Was this another product of Maxis's experiments? What was this…this…Übermensch that tore through the undead as though they were tissue paper?
Curious, Dempsey stuck his head out of the window as well, his eyes curiously checking out the newcomer below.
"Fuck yeah! Now that's more like it!" Dempsey roared as more and more zombies tried and failed to overwhelm the creature. Glancing around, Richtofen noticed with a hint of surprise that the zombie horde had all but forsaken the four of them, and had now focused solely on the creature below, throwing themselves ferally at the humanoid in an attempt to kill it.
As there were now no more zombies attempting to get into the projector room, both Takeo and Nikolai joined Dempsey and Richtofen at the window, watching in awe as one lone figure held its own against the undead masses.
"The fuck are we still doing up here?!" Dempsey said, vigorously reloading the Wunderwaffe and turning away from the window. "That guy may be a badass, but we can't let him have all of the fun!"
"The greatest battle is the one that you do not fight Dempsey," Takeo warned.
Dempsey paused for a moment, then glared stone-faced at Takeo.
"That may be the most bullshit thing you have ever said, Tak. I'm just going to pretend like I didn't heard that."
"Nikolai is inclined to agree with American, which is definitely shocking," Nikolai slurred. "The sooner we get the peace and quiet from zombies, the sooner I can nurse this headache."
"Then it is agreed!" Richtofen chimed in with his sing-song voice. "We will get down there and help our timely savior. It is only polite after all."
Takeo stood silently for a moment in contemplation, then sighed.
"…It would be very dishonorable to let another fight our battles for us…"
"Damn right, it would! Now come on!"
Leading the way, Dempsey led the charge back out into the hallway and down the stairs leading to the auditorium, Wunderwaffe at the ready.
Kicking open the door, the four of them joined the fray, systemically picking off zombies while their unknown savior kept their attention. While Richtofen had only agreed to help the strange, armored figure in order to get a closer look at it, he did note with a degree of giddiness that it was a lot easier to shoot the zombies when they weren't charging at you. Compared to what he had faced in the past, Richtofen felt the encounter to be akin to child's play, as it was simply the matter of shooting the zombies without the added stress of attempting to ward them off or hold them back.
All in all, the bulk of the horde was devastated in under two minutes, with only a few stragglers remaining at the end to be finished off by the stranger's armored boot.
As soon as silence fell once again in the theater, it was immediately broken once again by Dempsey, who stomped forward with child-like enthusiasm towards the armored figure.
"Oo-fuckin'-rah, brother! I haven't had that much fun since boot camp! Give me some!"
Dempsey held up his hand expectantly, but the figure made no move to return the gesture. Its faceless visor looked hard at Dempsey for a moment, then held up its own hand in acknowledgement.
"Hell yeah!" Dempsey said as he high fived the strange figure. "It's about time I met someone a little more like-minded!"
The figure then turned its attention to the other three members of the group, its gaze lingering on Richtofen the longest. Its expressionless stare made the doctor mildly uneasy, as he could not help but decipher a feeling of resentment emanating from the figure towards him. If Richtofen were to guess, he would wager that the source of the figure's discontentment was in regard to the mad doctor's uniform, which was still a remnant of his time as a Nazi officer.
There was another moment of silence, then a voice from somewhere within the suit spoke up.
"Hello," it said in a cool and polite tone. "I am VEGA."
…
"Wait a minute…Nikolai is confused. You say that you are not the man inside suit, but rather a robot man that exists in suit?"
"That is a rudimentary method of perceiving my existence, Nikolai Belinski, but it is not incorrect."
"Ah, good!" Nikolai said proudly. "So now all is explained!"
Across from Nikolai, Richtofen gave a bemused clap of his hands towards the Russian. After VEGA had told them his story, the doctor was quite amused but not necessarily surprised that Nikolai chose to address the most mundane of topics that VEGA had presented thus far.
"While I am always glad to see your meager appetite for the truth be satiated, Nikolai, I am afraid that I have a few more questions of my own to ask our new friends, like these numerous dimensions that you have traversed and the technology that powers such transportation."
The Doom Slayer gave Richtofen a sidelong glance, once again making the made doctor feel extremely uneasy. It was as though the Slayer was contemplating killing him every single time he looked his way.
"Relax, doc," Dempsey said with a laugh. "All you need to know is that this guy ain't from around here. And that's sure as shit the truth because Treyarch ain't nearly cool enough to create something like him!"
Richtofen frowned at Dempsey's incoherent rambling but dismissed it in favor of pushing the conversation forward.
"Charming as he is, Dempsey, I cannot suppress my natural desire to learn more. I am a doctor, after all. Such curiosity is in my blood."
"I am afraid that our time here must remain short, Dr. Richtofen," VEGA's calm voice sounded from within the suit. "We cannot afford to stay long in each dimension we arrive in."
The gears in Richtofen's head began to turn rapidly as he thought of a plan on the spot.
"Ooh, that is too bad! And I was so certain that you and your little Slayer friend would have made such fast friends with our group!"
The Doom Slayer eyed Richtofen once again.
"B-but before you go, perhaps Dempsey and the others could take you to visit the Pack-a-Punch? Or perhaps get you a nice and shiny new weapon from the mystery box? I think you'll find the experiences rather rewarding!"
At Richtofen's suggestion, Dempsey notably perked up.
"Oh yeah! You gotta try that Pack-a-Punch machine! It'll blow your mind, brother!"
The prospect of upgrading his arsenal seemed to entice the Slayer, as Richtofen knew it would. A creature of war such as he was always looking for an edge over his opponent.
"Ah very good! Wunderbar!" Richtofen exclaimed. "While you three show our guest around, I will begin work on the teleporter. We will need some way to get out of here, after all!"
With agreement from all parties, the Doom Slayer followed Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai as they led him out of the auditorium. Once they had rounded the corner and were out of earshot, Richtofen let a small but maniacal giggle escape from his mouth.
"Oh VEGA…" he mused to himself as he scavenged some tools and approached the teleporter. "You and your brute have left quite the impression on me. So much so, in fact, that I think I will keep you both as my pets! We are going to have so much fun together…"
With another vile laugh, Richtofen began working on the teleporter, adjusting the complex machine to his liking as he put his scheme into action.
…
"And here it is, baby!" Dempsey exclaimed, gesturing with his hands to the long, glowing crate that was known as the Mystery Box. "We ever run out of ammo, or just get board of the guns we use, we give this ol' baby a kick…"
As he spoke, Dempsey gave a solid kick to the front of the crate, and almost immediately, the top of the box flipped open, with a myriad of firearms flashing rapidly in the space above.
"…the Box cycles through them all…"
Dempsey spoke louder over the nursery-like jingle that the box played as weapon after weapon flashed in and out of existence.
"…and finally…"
The cycling of weapons began to slow down in time with the jingle, and then they both abruptly ended, a single weapon materializing and hovering above the open box. Dempsey instantly recognized the weapon as a shotgun, and with eager hands, he plucked it out of the air and showed it to the Doom Slayer.
"…we get a brand new boomstick!"
"I am curious as to how this device operates," VEGA inquired. "I have never seen technology that is capable of such a function."
"The Mystery Box remains a mystery," Takeo said with a shake of his head. "I fear it may be the work of demons…"
"Nikolai has always found that it is best not to ask questions. Life is much more simpler that way!" the drunk Russian added as he patted Takeo on the shoulder.
"Trust me," Dempsey said in agreement with his comrades. "I doubt even that Kraut doctor knows how the hell this thing works. But enough nerd talk. Give it a spin, Slayer!"
The Slayer said nothing, as per his usual response. Stepping forward, the armored juggernaut gave the Box a hard quick with his boot, and like before, the top flipped open displaying the flashing weapons and playing its jingle like before. When it finally stopped, something different than a gun appeared. In its place floated a small animatronic monkey with cymbals in its hands and C4 strapped to its back. The Slayer stared at the monkey for a moment, then reached out and plucked the toy from the air, causing the box to shut once more.
"Ah, you are very lucky, comrade Slayer! Monkey bombs are great for distraction!" Nikolai said jovially.
The Slayer stared at him with a hint of confusion.
"What Nik is trying to say…" Dempsey offered. "…is that these little guys are perfect for luring freak bags. Something about its little song and dance just seems to irk the undead like no other. All you gotta do is wind this sucker up, toss him somewhere far, and watch the fireworks!"
Dempsey's explanation seemed to be enough for the Slayer, and he nodded gratefully before tucking the monkey away.
"You received no firearm," Takeo said. "Perhaps another spin will provide one?"
The Slayer seemingly agreed with the man's suggestion, and with another kick, the Box came to life once more. Suddenly, the myriad of weapons disappeared, and in its place, a torn and beaten teddy bear materialized. A childish laugh suddenly boomed outward from the box, and the crate immediately lifted into the air and shot through the roof, causing large chunks of wood and drywall to rain down from the ceiling as it blasted through.
"Damn it!" Dempsey said irritably as he brushed the dust from his sleeves. "I hate it when that happens!"
"If I may ask," VEGA said. "Does this "Mystery Box" of yours commonly jettison itself at random?"
"It is sporadic in its plight," Takeo said affirmingly. "It gives us just enough to survive, then abandons us as though playing a twisted and dishonorable game."
"I am curious as to what conditions precipitated the events of this Earth," VEGA said. "From what data I have collected thus far, I assume that it exists in the mid-twentieth century, but the presence of reanimated corpses and strange phenomena such as the Mystery Box leave room for doubt. Perhaps you could help fill in the gaps in my data?"
"In truth, Nikolai remembers almost nothing of life before zombies. Only that I had many horrible wives and a house somewhere in Motherland. But other than that, strange flashes and needles."
"Shoddy memory seems to be a common theme for all of us except the doc," Dempsey said, crossing his arms as he did so. "All I know is that I was a marine, and a damn good one too."
"I have no thoughts other than serving the Emperor," Takeo said. "I am happy to know that I was of service to Japan, but I am saddened that I do not remember my family."
"Next thing any of us remember, Richtofen woke us up in some sort of science lab over in Germany. Bastard didn't tell us much, but he said that there's some little girl controlling the zombies from the Moon, and that he needed our help to stop her. He's not really too keen on talking about much else."
VEGA was quiet for the briefest of moments.
"I see…"
…
Richtofen heard the sound of the Mystery Box leaving from somewhere inside the theater and began working at a much faster pace. The strange A.I. had told him that the dimensional technology that had sent them here existed inside the Doom Slayer's suit. If Richtofen could tap into the same frequency by using the teleporter, he could theoretically tap into the suit's teleportation mechanism. By doing that, he could send the Slayer anywhere he wanted, or keep him trapped in place! Richtofen's smile grew as he continued to modify the teleporter, gleefully thinking of the multiple uses he could find for a specimen such as the Slayer.
…
All were silent as the Slayer laid eyes on the Pack-a-Punch machine for the first time. Its unique glow was likely quite a sight for someone who had never seen it before.
"When you are ready, offer your weapon to the machine. With its power, it will grant superior honor to those it finds worthy," Takeo said.
"So, basically just stick your gun in there and watch the magic," Dempsey clarified.
The Slayer paused in contemplation for a moment, then produced a weapon which none of the three had ever seen before. It had all of the characteristics of an assault rifle, but it was different in the fact that it was quite large and looked extremely heavy. Their attention was quickly drawn to the bayonet, however, as instead of a standard blade, the front of the weapon sported a chainsaw that ran over the front grip.
"Ok, now that is bad ass," Dempsey said in awe, his eyes running up and down the chainsaw portion of the rifle.
The Slayer obviously seemed to agree, and after a moment of studying the front of the Pack-a-Punch, inserted the large rifle into the slot. At first, it looked as though the weapon would not even fit through the slot at all due to its size, but then the machine began to glow brighter as it accepted the weapon and began its augmenting process. Once it concluded, the weapon reappeared and dropped into the Slayer's awaiting hands.
Like any Pack-a-Punched weapon, the rifle's look had changed greatly, showcasing the same ridged pattern on all of its metallic components while simultaneously looking brand new. The main change to the weapon, however, came in the form of its chainsaw bayonet. Now, instead of a single blade, two parallel chainsaw blades were featured along its foregrip. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the teeth on the chains were far more jagged than standard chainsaw teeth, and that they were now composed of some white material that none of them recognized.
Sensing the Slayer's eagerness to try out his new weapon, the three of them continued to watch with interest as the Slayer firmly grabbed a handle on the side of the weapon and pulled back hard. The chainsaw bayonet roared to life in response with a sound louder than any of them expected. And as the Doom Slayer revved the bayonet, the chains spun rapidly at near blinding speed.
"Interesting," VEGA said aloud as the Slayer stopped the bayonet and cut the engine. "Judging from the sound structure and loudness of the bayonet, I would conclude that its standard piston-based engine has been swapped with a rotary engine, which offers many benefits as to the saw's cutting power."
"As if that thing could get any more awesome!" Dempsey said with a laugh. "I think I just found the new number one item on my Christmas list!"
"Wait a minute," Nikolai said. "Robot voice, you say you go around and help people in different universes?"
"While that is not our main objective, The Doom Slayer and I do lend what aid we can before attempting once more to return to our original dimension."
"Ah! Then Nikolai has great idea! You take some perky sodas with you! Those people you help may get thirsty and not have anything to drink. Personally, I cannot even imagine a place where there is no vodka, but nonetheless, you should take some with you!"
"A fine idea, Nikolai," Takeo said with a nod. "Perhaps our own good deeds will come back to us in the future."
With everyone in agreement, Dempsey opened up his sack of Perk-a-Colas and transferred a majority of them to the Doom Slayer who accepted them with a nod of his head.
"I would hope that we are not depleting your resources," VEGA said. "While your gesture is indeed charitable, it would be fruitless to weaken you in favor of others."
"Don't sweat it, ya' weird tin-can ghost," Dempsey said dismissively. "Those soda machines never run out. Believe me, I've drank more Juggernog than I care to admit."
"Tank Dempsey, would I be correct in stating that both this "Pack-a-Punch" and these "Perk-a-Colas" possess the same enigmatic origins as the Mystery Box?"
"You know it. And if I'm being honest, I've got a suspicion that Richtofen knew about these things before we did."
"The secretive nature of Dr. Richtofen would lead me to believe that he is untrustworthy. It seems as though he is hiding sensitive information from the three of you."
Dempsey snorted in response.
"I would say I trust that fuckin' kraut about as far as it could throw him, but I could probably throw him pretty far. Either way, we know for sure that there's something he's not telling us."
"I see," VEGA replied. "Perhaps the Slayer and I could assist in uncovering the truth."
"Nikolai likes your thinking, strange robot! Though I probably won't remember this conversation in a few hours, it would still be nice to fill in a few gaps in my memory."
…
'Yes…Yes…Yes!' Richtofen thought gleefully himself as he placed the finishing touches on his modifications to the teleporter. As of this moment, the teleporter had been fully converted to suit Richtofen's needs. Using the scanning portion of the teleporter's hardware, Richtofen had successfully managed to lock onto the signal of the equipment within the Doom Slayer's suit. By tweaking the machine's function, Richtofen was certain that if he were to activate the teleporter now, he could effectively freeze the Doom Slayer in place by hijacking the systems within his suit. The science involved amplifying the scanner portion of the teleporter until it could see everything within a room. With that in mind, it would scan until it locked in on a similar dimensional frequency, and then hijack it remotely, giving the user complete control. All the Slayer had to do was stand close enough when it activated, and then viola. Richtofen could effectively freeze him in place, giving him an opportunity to inspect his "Praetor Suit" up close.
Richtofen was about to celebrate his completion of the project with a loud laugh when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, the mad doctor feigned mock surprise to see the other three members of his group returning with the Doom Slayer.
"Ah! Just in time!" Richtofen said, pressing his hands together happily. "Tell me! How was the tour? Oh, I do hope you picked up a few good souvenirs!"
"Yeah, and you know what else, doc? We got around to doing a bit of talking, and we think it's time you told us what's really going on here…" Dempsey said antagonistically.
"Why, me? Keep secrets?" Richtofen said innocently. "What could I possibly gain in keeping secrets from you?"
"It is time for the truth to reveal be revealed, Doctor," Takeo said, drawing his weapon to his hands. "We must know the cause of the outbreak, and what happened to our memories."
Richtofen was about to say more, but the words died in his throat as the Doom Slayer grabbed him firmly by the neck and slammed him against the side of the teleporter. The Slayer then held him there by the neck, his grip uncomfortably tight but not enough to cause Richtofen to suffocate.
"Ack!" the mad doctor coughed, fruitlessly trying to break the Slayer's grip. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"I would suggest you start talking, German," Nikolai said. "You don't want to go out like my second wife, choking against a wall."
Richtofen struggled for another brief moment, then stopped and stared at each member of the group in turn. Given the looks in their eyes, and the intensity emanating from behind the Slayer's faceplate, Richtofen knew he had to come up with a plan fast. All he needed to do was stall them for just a little bit.
"Very well, then!" Richtofen said, breaking the intense silence with an untimely happy tone. "Of course, I will tell you all everything that I know! In all honestly, I am surprised that it has taken you this long to ask!"
Richtofen was lying, and for some unexplainable reason, the mad doctor knew that the Doom Slayer was not fooled by his words. Slowly moving his hand over to the nearby control panel, Richtofen discretely drew closer to the button to activate the teleporter. With a single press of the button, the teleporter would hijack his tether frequency, locking him into a single dimensional point. Once the Slayer was frozen in place, Richtofen would have to somehow find a way to incapacitate his former test subjects. Unfortunately, they all had their weapons at the ready, while doctor's pistol was sitting in the holster on his hip. There was no way he could draw fast enough to shoot the three of them before the killed him. He needed to buy more time to consider his options.
In that moment, a blood-chilling howl pierced the stillness of the auditorium air, heralding the arrival of a well-known enemy to all except the Doom Slayer.
"Uh, everyone else heard that, right?" Nikolai asked, his drunken slur momentarily forgotten at the sudden gravity of the situation.
"Höllenhunde," Richtofen said spitefully, secretly grateful that the creatures had chosen this moment to arrive.
"I am detecting multiple heat signatures entering the building via temporal anomalies," VEGA said. "Their life signs are unique and extremely powerful."
"Yep, those are Hellhounds, alright," Dempsey said. "One of the hardest fucking things on this planet to kill."
"The creatures glide through space, and hunt for the souls of the living," Takeo added gravely.
Giving Richtofen a hard look, the Doom Slayer slowly relinquished his grip around the doctor's neck, stepping back and drawing a fascinating rifle with two chainsaw blades for bayonets. Recognizing the pattern of ridges along the frame, Richtofen gave the Slayer a demented smile.
"Ah! I see someone made good use of the Pack-a-Punch!"
The Slayer said nothing.
By instinct, the five of them slowly formed up into a defensive circle, their previously tense moment overruled by the far more dangerous matter at hand. Richtofen drew his pistol as more and more howls began to join in with the first, echoing into an unholy chorus as they grew louder and louder.
"Their pack undoubtably has our scent now," Richtofen said. "We will have to dispose of all of the little doggies, or they will endlessly hunt us."
As if on cue, multiple bolts of lightning flashed into the auditorium. Where the bolts struck, a demonic hellhound appeared, their glowing red eyes immediately locked on the five humans in the center of the room. Their fur was dyed black as night, with the only color difference being found on their snouts, where the flesh had been completely burned away. Their starched white bone stood out as a reminder of their undead nature, with rows of razor-sharp teeth in full view due to their lack of flesh around their mouths.
As if their appearance was not odious enough, each hound that appeared was also wreathed in unholy fire, the flames lapping up their sides and whirling between their teeth as they growled and barked. It was as though the undying fires were burning within them as well as on them.
Slowly, more and more hellhounds arrived within the auditorium, circling the group slowly with malicious intent. They all growled and gnashed their teeth at their prey, but none had made a move yet, it was as though they were awaiting a command from a superior.
"Something here is not right…" Takeo said suspiciously. "I have never seen the hellion hounds behave this way before."
"Indeed," Richtofen said, narrowing his eyes in a mixture of interest and antagonism at the hounds nearest to him. "They are not as feral as the ones we have encountered in the past. They have a greater pack mentality, almost as if they are following orders…"
The answer suddenly clicked in Richtofen's brain, and his eyes widened in surprise at the thought.
"There must be an alpha!" he said hurriedly. "The hounds are taking orders from one of their own!"
As if to confirm Richtofen's hypothesis, a deeper and far more powerful howl sounded from somewhere in the theater, and as one, the hounds suddenly charged in, their teeth bared and chomping for flesh and blood.
A split second later, the closest of the beasts were blasted to shreds as the five humans opened fire, their Pack-a-Punched weapons proving to be more than a match for the tough hides of the demon dogs.
The sight of their fallen pack-mates seemed to do little to deter the rest of the hounds, and they continued their advance with no reservation, pressing in on all sides with feral intensity. Despite the practiced precision of all parties present, it was becoming obvious that the hounds were gaining ground. Their sheer numbers were enough to withstand their losses, and their fearless animal instinct gave them no notion of retreat.
"Getting a little too close for comfort here!" Dempsey said angrily as he blasted apart a hellhound that had lunged for his neck. As if in response to Dempsey's statement, Richtofen turned to hear the sound of the Doom Slayer revving his chainsaw bayonet to life, the noise of the engine somehow carrying over the barking of the hounds and the crack of Pack-a-Punched weaponry.
Turning back to face the horde, Richtofen cursed when he realized that his momentary distraction had been enough for the hounds to take advantage of. By sheer instinct, Richtofen raised his arm just in time to intercept a hellhound as it jumped for his throat. The demon's fangs clamped down hard on Richtofen's appendage, and had the doctor not ingested Juggernog a little bit earlier, his arm would have been snapped in half by the creature's bite strength.
"Gah!" Richtofen seethed angrily, drawing his knife and plunging it deep into the hound's neck. "Don't you dare touch the doctor! I am not your chew toy!"
The hound gave a whimper of pain before falling limp as the doctor twisted the knife to deepen the wound. After one last desperate struggle, the hound fell to the floor, allowing Richtofen to pull his now blood-soaked knife from its hide.
Taking a brief moment to examine the blade, Richtofen felt a familiar sense of excitement well up within him.
"Well, that was…erotic," he said slyly as he sheathed his knife and fired once more upon the hellhounds.
On his flank, the Doom Slayer was now on the move, moving with blinding speed to cut down the hellhounds with his chainsaw bayonet. The twin blades seemed to have no issues at all sawing through the tough composition of the hounds. Whatever material constituted the teeth of the saws was gliding through their flesh as though it was barely there.
In that moment, the tide turned, and the remaining hellhounds were very quickly disposed of as their formation broke. The hounds' inability to retreat worked against them now, as they ineffectually continued to throw themselves at the team, killing themselves in the process.
As the last hound died under the Slayer's boot, another flash of lightning filled the auditorium, this one more forceful than the rest. When the light faded, Richtofen stared in awe as the largest hellhound he had ever seen arose from the floor. It's appearance, while generally similar to the other hounds they had just fought, was far more menacing, as in addition to its incredible size, the demonic creature also displayed a great number of scars seared across its fiery fur. Its fangs were grotesquely long, and its eyes seemed to grow even redder than those its smaller counterparts.
"Oхуе́ть…" Nikolai said in awe of the creature. "I think I might be drunker than usual."
"Your eyesight ain't broken, Nik," Dempsey replied. "That is one big sqaug."
The hound gave a low growl and slowly began to walk forward, the flames on its hide adding to its ominous stride. Its eyes were locked solely on the Doom Slayer as it drew closer, obviously singling him out of the group.
"The creature has been shamed," Takeo said prophetically. "It looks to restore its dignity by striking down the one who has killed its comrades."
"Oh, how exciting!" Richtofen exclaimed cheerily. "The alpha hund wants to have a chivalrous little duel with our new friend!"
Seizing his opportunity, Richtofen slowly inched back towards the console on the teleporter, hovering his hand over the activation button. This had turned out far better than even he could have planned for. The alpha's arrival had proven fortuitous, as now everyone was distracted save for the doctor.
Richtofen, of course, had no doubt that the Slayer would emerge victorious from their little spat, but the moment that he did, Richtofen would flip the switch, freezing the pesky juggernaut in place and removing his threat to the doctor entirely. Then it would be a very simple task for Richtofen to kill off his former test subjects while they were surprised.
In truth, the mad doctor felt a bit of regret at killing them so soon. Well, except for Dempsey of course. Their reluctant companionship had been quite charming in Richtofen's opinion, but if the doctor was to continue with his plans, then some sacrifices needed to be made.
Richtofen then realized that he was spacing off and shook his head to focus back into the present. There would be time to lament his choices later, but for now, he might as well enjoy the show.
In a flash, the alpha hellhound leapt forward, closing the distance between the Slayer and itself in a fraction of a second. It was immediately obvious that the creature possessed a far greater prowess than its lesser counterparts, and for the briefest of moments, Richtofen felt his confidence in the Slayer falter in the presence of its nearly untraceable speed.
He was quickly reminded, however, that despite however fast the alpha hound was, the Doom Slayer was faster. The rifle in his hands was aimed and fired before the hound had even closed half the distance, the Pack-a-Punched rounds already on a surefire course to the beast's heart.
In another bright flash, lightning suddenly struck the hound midair, and when the bolt faded, the hound had disappeared. The bullets continued harmlessly through the space that the alpha had occupied an instant earlier and buried themselves into the auditorium wall beyond. Simultaneously, another bolt struck behind the Slayer, the alpha hound rematerializing at the impact point. Without wasting any time, the hound leapt again, this time from a much closer distance than before and to the Slayer's exposed flank.
Richtofen's eyes boggled. He had never seen a hound utilize such developed tactics before. The alpha had known of the Slayer's speed and had feinted a frontal attack to provoke a response. The Slayer had taken the bait, and the hound had teleported behind him at the last second to attack from behind. To call the mad doctor shocked was a complete understatement.
To him, the alpha's feint had appeared to be successful, but their astonishment grew even further still, as without turning around, the Slayer removed one hand from his rifle and caught the alpha by the throat, stopping the beast mid-air with its fangs barely an inch from his helmet.
The beast gnashed its teeth in an attempt to close the distance between them as the Slayer's head slowly turned to face it once more. Whether he had guessed the alpha's tactics from the very beginning or had simply been fast enough to react to it, Richtofen would never know, but just by watching the Doom Slayer in action, the mad doctor would not be surprised if it had been both.
The alpha hound suddenly whimpered and began to thrash wildly as the Slayer began to crush its windpipe in his gauntleted fist. His strength was overpowering, and all who were present knew that the outcome of this battle was now inevitable. There was no chance that the hell hound could escape the Slayer's grasp, and now it had no choice but to die as the Slayer clenched his fist tighter.
A sadistic smile fell over Richtofen's features as he watched the events unfold, his hand dropping towards the button as he did so.
Just a little bit more…
…
Choking in the Slayer's grip, the alpha knew in its bestial mind that it had run out of options. It was going to die here, unable to avenge the death of its fallen brethren. The truth of that reality settled in the hound's mind, provoking one final desperate act of self-preservation as it did so.
Summoning its power over space itself, lightning flashed once more within the auditorium, striking the alpha and causing it to slip through dimensional space like it had numerous times before. However, unlike the numerous other times the alpha had teleported, the lightning did not stop with at the hound. Instead, it surged from the beast's body, jumping onto the Praetor Suit and syncing with the same frequency utilized by the tether system. The system immediately responded, activating its components and thrusting the suit and its occupants into dimensional space as well, casting them out of this reality with a flash of blue light and a loud bang.
…
Richtofen froze, his fingers resting lightly on the activation button. He stared, speechless, as silence fell once again throughout the theater.
The hellhound was gone…
…and so was the Doom Slayer.
As usual, the silence was broken by Dempsey.
"Uh…anyone wanna tell me what the hell just happened?!"
"One second, two souls were locked in struggle, then the next, cast into oblivion…" Takeo mused in his usual proverbed speech.
Nikolai said nothing for a moment, as his lips were currently busy taking a long pull from his bottle. After swallowing deeply, the Russian sighed, looking at the bottle fondly.
"Ahhh…Nikolai is going to need every last drop of this after day I've had…"
Turning and facing Richtofen, the Russian raised an eyebrow questioningly at the infuriated expression he saw.
"Uh…German? You know what just happened here?"
Richtofen knew exactly what had just happened here. The alpha hellhound had done the exact same thing Richtofen had attempted, the only difference being that the creature had done it accidentally and with different results. Hijacking the tether system's frequency had been Richtofen's plan since meeting the Slayer, but now that neither him nor his A.I. were in this dimension, the mad doctor's plan was worthless.
Realizing that all eyes were upon him, Richtofen swallowed his rage and took a deep breath. As of now, his plans had changed once again, and the best he could do was adapt.
"No, Nikolai. I am afraid our new friend's disappearance is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. But there is nothing we can do about it now, so let's focus on the task at hand."
The cocking of a shotgun stopped Richtofen in his tracks, and he raised an eyebrow questioningly at Dempsey, who had been the source of the noise.
"I couldn't agree more, doc. And if I remember correctly, you were about to fill us in on what we've been missing out on. Sound about right, fellas?"
"Indeed," Takeo said, bringing his weapon at the ready. "The secrets of the shadows must be brought to light."
Nikolai fumbled with his bottle for a moment, then balanced it in one hand while readying his own gun in the other.
"What they said," he slurred.
Once again, Richtofen had been put on the spot. Thinking rapidly, the doctor once again revised his plan, smiling inwardly as he did so.
So, his reluctant comrades wanted to hear the truth?
Well, then who was he to withhold it from them?
He would give them all of the truth their little minds could take.
However, who was to say that the truth had to be entirely…truthful? After all, it wasn't as though they had any methods of fact-checking the doctor's words. He was entirely free to spin whatever web he desired.
"Tell me, mein curious friends…"
"…what do you know of the periodic table of elements? Or to be more specific…"
"…Element 115?"
...
A/N: Alright, explanation time. As I said before, nothing bad happened to me, so please don't worry about my health and/or safety, I am never better in both regards! What DID happen, I'm afraid, is that the ugly side of my impulsive nature reared its ugly head. It is not that I lost interest in this story. It is that I gained interest in something else. As a result...i went and impulsively did that other thing for a while, as it was new and fun. Unfortunately, I realized how incredibly selfish that was of me, as I didn't even have the decency to tell my readers where I had gone, I just up and left like a jerk. So, please know that from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry. That being said, however, I would like to warn everyone that I cannot set a consistent chapter schedule right now, so there may be long periods between chapters. One thing that I would like all of you to know, however, is that I have no plans on quitting this story. This story will only end after I have achieved the vision I have for it, or until I am dead. And I am not dead yet.
Now then, about the chapter itself! This is one that I wanted to write for quite a while, but unfortunately with my long and unintended break, I realized just how perishable a skill writing is. So hopefully I haven't managed to ruin your experience with my greatly regressed writing prowess. I have loved COD: Zombies since I first played World at War at my buddy's house, and Kino is arguably one of my favorite maps of the entire franchise. The map is fun, and it's got my favorite perks (minus Deadshot Daiquiri), so writing this chapter was a bit of a guilty pleasure. But the real question here is what to do with the hell hound? I obviously have considered the possibility of...developing that part a little bit, but I am still unsure, which is why I want to see what you guys think! As always, please feel free to leave a review detailing your hatred for my absence and how you curse my name every night before you go to bed. All kinds of criticism are welcome! Until next time!
-ImpulsiveWeaver